How to Start Investing With $100: A 6-Step Walkthrough for 2026
If you have exactly $100 and want to know how to start investing with $100, here is the short version: open a brokerage account with…
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Roth IRA vs Traditional IRA in Your 20s: When “Always Roth” Is Wrong
If you are 25, earn a middling salary, and want to know whether Roth IRA vs traditional IRA in your 20s is really a one-sided…
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Index Fund vs Target Date Fund: Which to Choose in 2026?
If you are choosing between an index fund vs target date fund for your retirement account, the short answer is that both can work, and…
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Three Fund Portfolio for Beginners: A Complete Guide to Building One in 2026
You can build a diversified, global investment portfolio out of just three index funds, spend about ten minutes a year maintaining it, and pay a…
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Dollar Cost Averaging vs Lump Sum Investing: What 47 Years of Data Say About Your Windfall
You just received $30,000 from a bonus, an inheritance, or a house sale, and the market is sitting near highs. The question of dollar cost…
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Backdoor Roth IRA Step-by-Step Guide: How to Do It Right in 2026
A single missed line on IRS Form 8606 can turn a backdoor Roth IRA conversion you already paid tax on into income the IRS taxes…
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How to Start Investing With $100: A 12-Month Case Study
A hundred dollars won’t make you rich this year. Invested at a 7% average annual return and topped up with $100 every month, it grows…
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Roth Catch-Up Rule for High Earners: A 7-Step Checklist Before 2027
If you’re 50 or older and your 2025 W-2 showed more than $150,000 in Social Security wages, the IRS changed how your 401(k) catch-up contributions…
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Coast FIRE Number: The Math for When You Can Stop Saving for Retirement
A 35-year-old with $231,377 invested can stop contributing to retirement accounts entirely and still land at roughly $1 million by age 65, assuming a 5%…
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Target Date Fund in a Taxable Account: The Deep-Dive Guide to What It Really Costs You (2026)
In December 2021, investors holding Vanguard’s Target Retirement 2040 fund in a regular brokerage account got a capital gains distribution equal to 14.98% of the…
